"One of the major threats to intelligent life, is high probalility of an asteroid colliding with inhabited planets." - Stephen Hawking
Introduction
Bennu likely broke off from a much larger carbon-rich asteroid about 700 million to 2 billion years ago. It likely formed in the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars also Jupiter, and has drifted much closer to Earth since then. Because its materials are so old, Bennu may contain organic molecules similar to those that could have been involved with the start of life on Earth.
10 Facts To Know About Beennu
1) The asteroid was discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey on September 11, 1999.
2) Named by 9-year-old: Bennu's original designation was 1999 RQ36. In 2013, a third-grade student named Michael Puzio won the contest to name an asteroid.
3) Far from home: Bennu has drifted into near-Earth space because of gravitational interaction with giant planets and the gentle push of heating from the sun.
4) Low density: Bennu's density is only about 30% more than water. This suggests the asteroid is probably a loose collection of rocks, like a pile of rubble.
5) Wave every 6 years: Bennu has a close approach to Earth every six years.
6) Potentially hazardous: Scientists estimate Bennu has a 1-in-2700 chance of impacting the Earth during one of its close approaches to the Earth in the late 22nd century.
7) Burn up or bolt?: Bennu may burn up in the Sun. Over millions of years, of all of the planets, Bennu is most likely to hit Venus.
8) Big Boulder: The boulder that juts from Bennu's south pole is about 164 feet (50 meters) high and 180 feet (55 meters) wide.
9) Moonless: Although some asteroids have moons, Bennu does not.
10) More to Come Soon: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission will reveal Bennu in unprecedented detail. It will collect a sample and return it to Earth in 2023.
The however
However, NASA's team OSIRIS-REx is investigating...
OSIRIS-REx, also known as the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer spacecraft will travel to a near-Earth asteroid, called Bennu (formerly 1999 RQ36), and bring at least a 2.1-ounce sample back to Earth for study. The mission will help scientists investigate how planets formed and how life began, as well as improve our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.
OSIRIS-REx was scheduled to launch on Sept. 8, 2016, at 7:05 p.m. EDT. As planned, the spacecraft reached its asteroid target in 2018 and will return a sample to Earth in 2023.